Childline: Children need to know they can speak out when something is wrong

The NSPCC's Speak out. Stay safe with Buddy initiative.

Without the support of our dedicated staff and volunteers it would be impossible for the NSPCC to continue to be there for children.

They keep our Childline service running as well as the NSPCC Helpline and many other departments across the organisation.

They also work in schools delivering important messages to aid children with recognising the signs of abuse, identifying a safe trusted adult, and helping them to feel confident to speak out if something doesn’t feel right.

On average, two children in every primary school class have experienced abuse or neglect. Some children who are experiencing abuse might not know anything is wrong or may be scared about speaking out in fear of repercussions.

By helping children to recognise situations or signs of abuse, we can help them feel confident to share their concerns with a safe adult or Childline as soon as they are worried about something.

Speak out, Stay safe uses age-appropriate language to help children understand that abuse is never their fault, that they have a right to be safe. It also shows them that the NSPCC’s Childline service is a place to turn to if they ever need support.

With the help of Buddy the friendly speech bubble mascot, dedicated volunteers have been delivering this programme for over 13 years through fun, lively and interactive assemblies and workshops. In the last year across the North East and Yorkshire, we’ve reached over 199,000 primary school children across 856 schools, but we want to reach every child, and we need more help to do this.

We would encourage all primary schools to sign up for Speak out, Stay safe to ensure every pupil has the knowledge and confidence to recognise when something is not right, and to know who to speak to whenever they need it.

Every child deserves a happy and safe childhood, and our Childline team is here to offer support to children whenever they need it.

But children everywhere need to know they can speak out when something’s wrong, so if you can spare a couple of hours each month you can help share that vital safeguarding messaging.

To find out more, go to https://join-us.nspcc.org.uk/volunteers/volunteers/schools/